Vegetarian strawberry cobb is a summer salad that will absolutely become a new favorite! It’s a reimagined version of a classic cobb featuring ripe and juicy strawberries, cornbread croutons and an herbaceous green goddess dressing.
It is officially salad season in my house and OMG I am in love with this one. Whoever said salad isn’t a meal clearly needs to try a cobb, which covers just about every craving possible. This summery version – vegetarian strawberry cobb – is even better (in my opinion) for a few key reasons:
- vegetarian, which means a little bit lower maintenance. HOWEVER, you can certainly add the traditional chicken and bacon if you want to bump up the protein. Crispy bacon is great on this, but it does add an extra step.
- strawberries in place of tomatoes, which is especially perfect for late spring/early summer when they’re peaking. I’ll be honest, tomatoes have such a short season and I don’t *love* them unless they’re just right.
- pickled shallots in place of the traditional raw red onion (always a win)
- cornbread croutons (!!) which are my favorite easy way to make a salad both more interesting and balanced
- homemade green goddess dressing to incorporate all of the fresh herbs you can handle in a punchy, creamy and citrusy finishing touch. It’s also a beautiful green color and just sort of makes the rest of the salad work.
Full Ingredients List
- green lettuce for the base (I love the crispy green leaf by Gotham Greens)
- hard-boiled eggs (see here for a tutorial on how I make them in the Instant Pot)
- strawberries
- cucumbers
- avocado
- cornbread
- pickled shallots (or red onions)
- bleu cheese
- dates
- herbs: basil, dill & mint
- whole milk plain Greek yogurt (I use siggi’s 4% plain)
- mayonnaise
- lemon juice
- salt & pepper
Meal Prep the Components
I won’t lie, there’s quite a lot going on with this recipe. The great part about it is that most of it can be prepared ahead of time, making it more of an assembly style meal the day you serve it. Here’s what I would recommend prepping early if possible:
- Make the dressing – store in a jar in the fridge until ready to use.
- Cook the eggs (make extra for snacking too!)
- Pickle the shallots (or alternatively, buy these pickled red onions from the store)
Note on the croutons: I wouldn’t recommend making the cornbread croutons ahead of time as they get less crispy as they rest. This is the one thing you should make just before serving for best results. I absolutely love the slightly warm, crunchy bite of the croutons when they’re fresh.
Plating and Serving Tips
When it comes time to actually plating this salad, I like to start with lettuce and make little pockets of the other components (instead of just haphazardly scattering everything around).
If you want to really make the hard-boiled eggs pop, add some salt/seasoning on top (I use everything bagel).
Finish with the croutons and a generous drizzle of the beautiful green goddess dressing.
As the temperature rises, it’s nice to have a few entreé salads in your rotation and this one will not disappoint. It’s easy enough for a weeknight but beautiful enough to serve to guests too!
⭐️ Let me know what you think of it with a comment and star rating below ⭐️
More Seasonal Strawberry Recipes:
- Spring Harvest Farro Salad
- Strawberry Coconut Overnight Oats
- Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie
Vegetarian Strawberry Cobb Salad
A summer salad that will absolutely become a new favorite! It’s a reimagined version of a classic cobb featuring ripe and juicy strawberries, cornbread croutons and an herbaceous green goddess dressing.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Mains, Entreés
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 cups prepared cornbread, cubed (see notes)
- 4–5 oz crunchy lettuce
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered (see notes)
- 1 cup quartered strawberries
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1/2 english cucumber, thinly sliced
- 4 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
- 1/4 cup pickled shallots (see notes)
- 1/4 cup bleu cheese crumbles
Green Goddess Dressing
- 1 cup herbs (basil, dill, mint)
- 1/2 cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300° F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Add the cubed cornbread and transfer to the oven for 12-15 minutes until lightly toasted.
- Layer lettuce, eggs, strawberries, avocado, cucumbers, dates, pickled shallots, bleu cheese and cornbread croutons.
- Make dressing: add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and run until smooth. Stream in water if needed (1 tablespoon at a time) to make pourable. Drizzle over the top of the salad.
Notes
- The equipment section above provides affiliate links to things I use often in my kitchen and love.
- Cornbread: I buy it prepared from the bakery section of my grocery store. Another option is to buy a boxed mix and bake it ahead of time, allow to cool, then toast the croutons later.
- Hard-boiled eggs: I use the Instant Pot (affiliate link).Place the trivet inside along with one cup of water. Add eggs and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes, quick steam release, ice bath until cool enough to handle/peel. Or use your favorite method!
- Pickled shallots: combine two thinly sliced shallots, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a mason jar and shake. Let stand for at least 30 minutes. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to a week.
Nutrition
- Calories: 490 calories
- Fat: 26 grams
- Carbohydrates: 49 grams
- Fiber: 5.5 grams
- Protein: 16 grams
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